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When I first saw the "Wenger says managers should have Jokers"
headlines I had visions of Eddie Waring and Stuart Hall, and
coaches holding up big cards from the sidelines (or getting their glamorous assistant, or the the 4th official, to hold them up). Maybe playing a joker at a corner would mean that goal scored from it counted double.
The actual idea isn't a lot less daft. What he's saying is that managers should have 3 chances in the game to challenge decisions. When they played one of their jokers, the game would stop for someone to look at the video replay.
Both Arsenal and today's opponents Leicester have suffered recently with players (van Bronckhorst and Izzet) being sent off for 2 yellow cards, one of which was for a less-than-definite dive. The iomplication in many reports is that Wenger's saying that these
"jokers" would have helped in those cases.
But what Wenger's seems to actual be saying is that his idea could help to cut out diving, not prevent people being unjustly punished for it. And that'd only work if coaches
used their jokers to accuse the opposition, rather than merely to defend their own.
We suspect that Wenger's more trying to stimulate discussion than to suggest an actual solution. And while it's a pretty daft idea at least it's better than moaning about the decisions which have gone against Arsenal recently. Better to be seen as an
eccentric than as a whinger.
To be fair to Le Boss, he has made made some good points too. Such as pointing out that just because a player goes down and it's not a penalty, that doesn't mean it's necessarily a dive. A point
which is, strangely, often forgotten.
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